NEW YORK, July 27, 2014 – New York Rangers President and General Manager Glen Sather announced today that the team has agreed to terms with restricted free agent forward Derick Brassard.
Brassard, 26, registered 18 goals and 27 assists for 45 points, along with 46 penalty minutes in 81 games with the Rangers this past season. He established career-highs in games played, goals, game-winning goals (four), power play goals (seven), power play assists (11), and power play points (18). Brassard tied for the team lead in power play goals, tied for second on the team in power play points, tied for third in game-winning goals, ranked fourth in goals and points, tied for fourth in power play assists, and ranked fifth in assists. He tied a career-high with an eight-game point streak from January 26 at New Jersey to March 1 at Philadelphia (five goals, five assists over the span). Brassard’s eight-game point streak was the longest a Ranger had during the season. During the streak, he also tied a career-high with a three-game goal streak from January 31 vs. NY Islanders to February 6 vs. Edmonton (three goals over the span). Brassard recorded two goals, added an assist, and established a single-game career-high with a plus-four rating on March 18 at Ottawa. Brassard tallied his 200th career NHL point with an assist on December 29 at Tampa Bay, and recorded an assist while skating in his 400th career NHL contest on April 5 vs. Ottawa.
In the 2014 Playoffs, the 6-1, 205-pounder recorded six goals and six assists for 12 points in 23 games. Brassard established playoff career-highs in games played, goals, plus/minus rating (plus-four), game-winning goals (two), shots on goal (45), and power play assists (three), and tied playoff career-highs in points and power play points (three). He tied for second on the team – and tied for sixth in the NHL – in game-winning goals, ranked third on the team in goals, and tied for fourth in plus/minus rating and power play assists in the playoffs. He tallied his first career overtime goal in the playoffs in Game 1 of the Metropolitan Division Finals at Pittsburgh on May 2. Brassard also registered his first career multi-goal game in the playoffs, including the game-winning goal, and tied a single-game playoff career-high with three points in Game 5 of the Metropolitan Division Finals at Pittsburgh on May 9. Brassard became the first Ranger to record two game-winning goals on the road in one playoff series since Adam Graves tallied two in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Montreal in 1996. He also tied for the team lead in plus/minus rating (plus-two), and tied for second on the team in assists (two) and points (three) in the Stanley Cup Final against Los Angeles.
Brassard has skated in 403 career NHL games with the Rangers and Columbus, registering 81 goals and 144 assists for 225 points, along with 230 penalty minutes. He made his NHL debut as a member of the Blue Jackets on January 11, 2008 vs. St. Louis, and recorded his first career NHL point with an assist on January 20, 2008 at Colorado. Brassard established career-highs in assists (30) and points (47) during the 2010-11 season with Columbus. He registered a single-game career-high, four points (one goal, three assists) while making his Rangers debut on April 3, 2013 vs. Pittsburgh. Brassard has skated in 35 career NHL playoff games, all with the Rangers, registering eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points, along with 10 penalty minutes and a plus-five rating.
The Hull, Quebec native was acquired from Columbus on April 3, 2013, along with John Moore, Derek Dorsett, and a sixth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for Marian Gaborik, Blake Parlett, and Steven Delisle. He was originally selected by Columbus in the first round, sixth overall, of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

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The problem is who is the #2 center on this team? He is. So if he went into the Arbitration hearing saying that he was the #2 line center on a team that just went to the cup finals, he probably would have gotten the better end in the hearing.

If he ends up scoring more than 50pts a year during the contract then the signing is a good deal.

Look around folks thats what these players get, that is why you need some young guys. Hockey will be like hockey sign your young guys early...cause this is what 50 pts gets you, 100 point gets you 9million

The Rangers must have more confidence that Brass can become a bonafide 50 point second line center than I do. Too much money, too many years. Hopefully he can step it up with the tougher assignment this year and hit that 50 pt mark.

@John G Oleon Completely agree. No matter who the player and what the deal is, everyone cries too much term and too much money. This is simply the the NHL landscape these days. A slightly above average center who is 26 years old with potential to improve gets 5 years @ $5 million. That's just the way it is, that's the market

@Edwin Cruz Zuke will get it this winter. He took a 1 year deal so that the Rangers could retain guys like Brass, this year. Next year, the cap will go up several million and MSL will either go, or take less to stay.

@Edwin Cruz Edwin, the way I am trying to look at this signing is: fans and media always complain Sather pays out money to aging players for their past results, well now he is banking on future results for an improving player like Brassard, who is 26 and has played well in 2 playoff runs.